This invention relates to disposable absorbent articles adapted to be worn by a wearer. More particularly, it relates to disposable absorbent articles having a translational operative member attached to a translating device activated via interaction with exudates discharged from the body of the wearer.
The major function of disposable absorbent articles such as diapers and adult incontinence briefs is to prevent bodily waste from soiling, wetting, or otherwise contaminating clothing or other articles, such as bedding, that come in contact with the wearer. In recent years, disposable diapers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003 issued to Kenneth Barclay Buell on Jan. 14, 1975, incorporated herein by reference, have become very popular with the public and have generally replaced durable cloth absorbent articles because of their convenience and reliability. However, despite the effectiveness of such disposable absorbent articles, bodily wastes often still leak or are stored in the diaper such that the wastes soil and/or irritate the skin of the wearer. Thus, the search has continued for even more effective devices.
For example, one problem perceived by the caregivers of infants and by the users of, and caregivers of those who wear, adult diapers is that associated with the performance of the disposable diaper which is subjected to multiple discharges of urine (e.g. xe2x80x9cinsults of urinexe2x80x9d). The initial discharge of urine is quickly absorbed by the diaper with no leakage, or run-off, of urine around the sides or ends of the diaper. Subsequent discharges of urine are then absorbed less rapidly than the initial discharge because the absorbent element is already at least partially saturated with urine. In this case, it sometimes occurs that a portion of the second discharge is not absorbed quickly enough to prevent at least a portion of the discharge from leaking around the sides or ends of the diaper.
The undesirable effects of leakage and/or improper containment are especially evident with regard to fecal matter deposited in the diaper. Feces contained in the diaper can harm the skin of the wearer over time and feces leaking from the diaper almost invariably presents unpleasant, messy clean-ups. Several attempts have been made to add features to diapers such as barriers, pockets, spacers, transverse barriers, apertured topsheets and the like to limit the movement of the material across the topsheet and/or to better confine fecal matter in the diaper. However, the success of such attempts has been limited primarily due to containment capacity as well as the ability to reduce the negative effects of the feces.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a disposable absorbent article having increased absorbent and/or containment capacity that would minimize the negative effects of feces or other viscous fluid bodily waste on the wearer or the caregiver. The present invention provides a disposable absorbent articles having translational operative members capable of being moved from one section of the article to another by way of translating devices activated via interaction with initial deposits of bodily waste.
The present invention is an absorbent article having a primary target zone contiguous with an initial discharge of bodily waste, a support member comprising a top sheet, a backsheet, or an absorbent core, and a translational operative member. The translational operative member can move from one region of the article to another or within a region via a translating device. The translating device, directly or indirectly affixed at one end to the support member and at another end to the translational operative member, comprises a moisture sensitive element capable of expanding or contracting when wetted. The translating device interacts with the primary target zone.
The translational operative member comprises an auxiliary absorbent core, an auxiliary top sheet coated with lotion, a cover for concealing waste, a spacer providing a void for receiving waste, and a pocket for receiving and containing waste. The disposable absorbent article may include any one or combination of operative members.